Championing Mental Health and Social Mobility = Community: Our Ongoing Commitment for Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week (12–18 May 2025), led by the Mental Health Foundation, reminds us all of the vital role good mental health plays in every aspect of our lives—from our ability to connect, contribute and cope, to the strength of our communities and the future of our young people.

This year’s theme, “Community,” is at the heart of everything we do at GoodShip*—it’s more than a value; it’s a movement.

We believe that meaningful connections drive purpose, progress, togetherness and storytelling—creating better systems, platforms and communities that lift people up.

That’s why this week, and all year round, we’re proud to work alongside organisations breaking down stigma, strengthening support, and giving people the tools to feel more connected and less alone. Our previous work with Chasing the Stigma, and current projects with EdenFiftyOne, Gigmate, and our own initiatives like KinShip and Random Acts of Connection, reflect our deep commitment to this mission.

Breaking the Stigma with Chasing the Stigma

Our earlier, pre-GoodShip* collaboration with Chasing the Stigma focused on elevating the Hub of Hope—the UK’s leading mental health support directory. With its roots in lived experience, the platform helps users quickly and discreetly find local mental health services, anytime.

We worked to enhance the Hub’s accessibility and visibility—removing barriers between people and the help they need. Every visit to the Hub is a reminder: you are not alone, and help is out there.

The impact of this work will always stay with us. Meeting people who have used it in the past—and hearing how it helped signpost them towards positive change and support—is more meaningful than any awards the project has received.

(It’s won many awards, including a BIMA for ‘Website & Apps with Conscience’.)

Elevating Youth Opportunities & Wellbeing with EdenFiftyOne

With EdenFiftyOne, we’ve helped to champion a vision of literacy education as the foundation of social mobility.

Their programmes operate at the meeting point of language, confidence and opportunity—empowering young people with the tools to express themselves, connect with others, and imagine a future guided by their strengths and aspirations. By removing barriers, reducing social anxiety, and addressing mental wellbeing and health triggers, EdenFiftyOne helps young people access and embrace educational and career opportunities.

We’re reducing the overload and pressure on learners and young people, while supporting teachers with a new approach to teaching the English language and essential social skills.

The long-term impact is social mobility, while in the short term, we help remove worry and anxiety from the classroom, exam hall and beyond—through improved exam results and more supportive learning methods.

By combining educational innovation with mentoring and real-world communication skills, EdenFiftyOne is creating a new pathway for young people to thrive—academically, emotionally and socially.

Combating Loneliness Through Gigmate

Gigmate is a platform that connects people through shared experiences—helping users discover gigs and events, and most importantly, make friends along the way.

In a time when loneliness has become one of the most pressing public health concerns, Gigmate offers a simple but powerful antidote: connection through culture. Whether you're heading to a concert solo or looking to meet people who love what you love, Gigmate helps you find your tribe.

KinShip: A Community and Movement

At GoodShip*, we’ve also created our own spaces for support and connection.

KinShip is our event series designed to bring peers, partners and collaborators together in a space of openness, vulnerability and shared learning. It’s about turning solidarity into practice—and looking after one another as we do impactful work.

We have a network of collaborators and attendees who help curate and contribute to our mission through events like Developer Breakfast, AI & Tech for Good, and Supper Connections, all of which bring our peers together in meaningful ways.

Alongside this, our Random Acts of Connection initiative spreads small, unexpected moments of joy—through conversation sparked by picking some vinyl and sharing time together. These small moments are designed to tackle everyday loneliness with something beautifully human: attention.

Because loneliness isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it just needs someone to notice.

And our collaboration with Kindred and LCR Blast to bring Fuckup Nights to our community continues this mission—sharing honest stories of failure and resilience to foster a healthy culture of openness, learning and support among our peer group.

Our Shared Future

Mental health isn’t siloed. It’s shaped by the people we know, the support we access, and the spaces we move through. This Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re celebrating the work—both ours and others’—that helps people feel seen, supported and less alone.

We’ll continue our journey: helping good people do great things, using design, tech and strategy as tools for social connection and care.

Because mental health matters. Not just this week—but every day.

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